Danny Baram's Blog - Posts Tagged "millennials"
Halloween Team Is (Finally!) Here
It's been a long journey to get to the release of Halloween Team #1.
Several years ago, I wrote a TV pilot script called Alt Alex that got some exciting buzz and attention. For my next script, I wanted to write a follow-up that had a similar tone and would make for a good companion piece. I love writing stories that are horror or horror-adjacent, and I started brainstorming what would become Halloween Team.
As a kid, I was obsessed with the Nickelodeon TV series Are You Afraid of the Dark. I wondered about those kids - the members of "The Midnight Society" - who would gather in the woods every week to tell scary stories. What if instead of just telling scary stories ... they also solved mysteries - and in doing so encountered real-life ghosts, goblins, vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of the night? And what if ... what if we flashed forward twenty years, and this team of misfit kids was now grown? What if they led separate lives, and had mostly lost touch over the years? And what would then happen if a new mystery - one that reveals a deep, dark secret about the early days of the team - reunites them for one more adventure?
I wrote the Halloween Team pilot and had a ton of fun doing so. I grew to really love the characters and the world - and more so than anything else I'd previously written, I felt sad to not be continuing on their journey. But, such is the nature of TV pilot writing. For the most part, it's one-and-done.
For whatever reason, the Halloween Team pilot didn't get as many accolades as Alt Alex. But as time passed, I kept coming back to it as I thought about one of my other big writing ambitions: creating an original comic book series.
Now, trust me - as a lifelong comic book fan, I know that there can be heavy skepticism over the idea of work being adapted from TV or movie scripts. I totally get that. But the thing is: I've read so many comic books over the years that my favorite comic book writers and series are already a huge influence on my writing in general - even my film and TV scripts. Halloween Team, in particular, had a very comic book-y feel to it from the start. So the story seemed perfect to translate to the comic book medium. Additionally, there were so many elements that just felt like a great fit - from the name itself (I started getting excited just picturing a big "Halloween Team" logo emblazoned on the front of a comic book) to the distinct characters, big action, cliffhanger endings, and the blending of various genres.
I began the process of adapting the script to better suit a comic book, and then went out in search of an artistic partner. Luckily, I found the talented Matt Shults. Matt had a great sense for story and character, and it's been a lot of fun collaborating with him on things like character design, world-building, and cover art. He even helped design a killer title logo! As a writer, it's been thrilling to see Matt bring the scripts to life so vividly.
I also went about trying to shop the book to publishers. There were a few close calls, but ultimately, no dice. What can I say - much like Film and TV, the world of comic books is not exactly easy to break into. That said, I was still eager to get the book out there any way I could. I felt confident that we could self-publish the book and stand out from the pack - if we could just get people to check out the comic.
And that's where YOU, the reader, come in. We ended up self-publishing the book digitally via Comixology/Amazon (it's also now available on GlobalComix). Issue #1 released on October 4th, and Issue #2 is out October 25th. It's all very exciting, but we need YOUR support to make sure we maintain solid position on the Amazon charts, keep visibility for the comic high, and somehow, some way, get enough organic buzz that we, eventually, have the means to keep the book going beyond this initial 4-issue miniseries. Because this miniseries is, really, only the beginning - we've got *so* much more story to tell.
Halloween Team is an "indie" comic - but it's also a big, fun, spooky adventure with, I think, pretty wide appeal. It's got horror, action, and humor - and it's also a bit of a commentary on what it's like to be a Millennial here in this crazy era we're all living in. If you like stuff like Stranger Things or Buffy or Paper Girls ... I think you'll dig it.
I appreciate your support, and I hope you enjoy Halloween Team! If you read and like it, tell your friends, leave us a good review on Amazon and Goodreads, #JoinTheTeam, and stay tuned for the rest of the series. Follow the book on Twitter: @HalloweenTeam22 - for more news and updates. We even have Halloween Team logo T-shirts available on Redbubble and Design By Humans (and they look great, if I do say so myself!).
And oh yeah, one more thing: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Several years ago, I wrote a TV pilot script called Alt Alex that got some exciting buzz and attention. For my next script, I wanted to write a follow-up that had a similar tone and would make for a good companion piece. I love writing stories that are horror or horror-adjacent, and I started brainstorming what would become Halloween Team.
As a kid, I was obsessed with the Nickelodeon TV series Are You Afraid of the Dark. I wondered about those kids - the members of "The Midnight Society" - who would gather in the woods every week to tell scary stories. What if instead of just telling scary stories ... they also solved mysteries - and in doing so encountered real-life ghosts, goblins, vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of the night? And what if ... what if we flashed forward twenty years, and this team of misfit kids was now grown? What if they led separate lives, and had mostly lost touch over the years? And what would then happen if a new mystery - one that reveals a deep, dark secret about the early days of the team - reunites them for one more adventure?
I wrote the Halloween Team pilot and had a ton of fun doing so. I grew to really love the characters and the world - and more so than anything else I'd previously written, I felt sad to not be continuing on their journey. But, such is the nature of TV pilot writing. For the most part, it's one-and-done.
For whatever reason, the Halloween Team pilot didn't get as many accolades as Alt Alex. But as time passed, I kept coming back to it as I thought about one of my other big writing ambitions: creating an original comic book series.
Now, trust me - as a lifelong comic book fan, I know that there can be heavy skepticism over the idea of work being adapted from TV or movie scripts. I totally get that. But the thing is: I've read so many comic books over the years that my favorite comic book writers and series are already a huge influence on my writing in general - even my film and TV scripts. Halloween Team, in particular, had a very comic book-y feel to it from the start. So the story seemed perfect to translate to the comic book medium. Additionally, there were so many elements that just felt like a great fit - from the name itself (I started getting excited just picturing a big "Halloween Team" logo emblazoned on the front of a comic book) to the distinct characters, big action, cliffhanger endings, and the blending of various genres.
I began the process of adapting the script to better suit a comic book, and then went out in search of an artistic partner. Luckily, I found the talented Matt Shults. Matt had a great sense for story and character, and it's been a lot of fun collaborating with him on things like character design, world-building, and cover art. He even helped design a killer title logo! As a writer, it's been thrilling to see Matt bring the scripts to life so vividly.
I also went about trying to shop the book to publishers. There were a few close calls, but ultimately, no dice. What can I say - much like Film and TV, the world of comic books is not exactly easy to break into. That said, I was still eager to get the book out there any way I could. I felt confident that we could self-publish the book and stand out from the pack - if we could just get people to check out the comic.
And that's where YOU, the reader, come in. We ended up self-publishing the book digitally via Comixology/Amazon (it's also now available on GlobalComix). Issue #1 released on October 4th, and Issue #2 is out October 25th. It's all very exciting, but we need YOUR support to make sure we maintain solid position on the Amazon charts, keep visibility for the comic high, and somehow, some way, get enough organic buzz that we, eventually, have the means to keep the book going beyond this initial 4-issue miniseries. Because this miniseries is, really, only the beginning - we've got *so* much more story to tell.
Halloween Team is an "indie" comic - but it's also a big, fun, spooky adventure with, I think, pretty wide appeal. It's got horror, action, and humor - and it's also a bit of a commentary on what it's like to be a Millennial here in this crazy era we're all living in. If you like stuff like Stranger Things or Buffy or Paper Girls ... I think you'll dig it.
I appreciate your support, and I hope you enjoy Halloween Team! If you read and like it, tell your friends, leave us a good review on Amazon and Goodreads, #JoinTheTeam, and stay tuned for the rest of the series. Follow the book on Twitter: @HalloweenTeam22 - for more news and updates. We even have Halloween Team logo T-shirts available on Redbubble and Design By Humans (and they look great, if I do say so myself!).
And oh yeah, one more thing: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
A Scary October
This October has, in many ways, been extremely exciting. First and foremost, it saw the launch of HALLOWEEN TEAM's first two issues - something I've been anticipating for a long, long time. It's been such a rush to get those first two issues of the comic book out there for people to read - and just in time for Halloween to boot.
But this month has also been difficult in a lot of ways. After finally (unfortunately) getting COVID at the end of May, I realized in July that I was suffering from some seriously scary and at-times debilitating Long COVID issues. It started with a few nerve-racking "attacks" of lightheadedness and vertigo that left me stuck in bed for multiple days. In between attacks, I'd start to feel a little better and more functional - but I was still dealing with persistent issues of dizziness and lightheadedness that seemed to be triggered by certain situations. Being in any sort of group setting was difficult. Sitting on certain kinds of surfaces made my head twinge. Being on video calls - or in any situation where my eyes and ears were darting back and forth between different things - was challenging. Talking for a long time uninterrupted made me feel faint. I stopped driving longer distances and relied on rides from others. I continued to work from home, even as my colleagues returned to the office on a more full-time basis. I started seeing an endless series of doctors and specialists. Various symptoms came and went - though the biggest new one from the Fall was elevated blood pressure, and with it, a heightened feeling of anxiety. Certain meds seemed to help mask the symptoms, but even then ... there were good days and bad days, and the lightheadedness and vertigo issues never completely went away.
After a more mild September, my symptoms really began flaring up again in mid-October. On the day the second issue of Halloween Team released - 10/25 - I had my first "attack" in quite some time, while in the waiting room of my ENT doctor. The next day, I was excited for the opportunity to participate in a podcast to help promote the comic - but while on the (live-streamed!) show, I began to experience lightheadedness attacks and thought I might be about to have the awkward and embarrassing experience of passing out on a live show. Luckily, that didn't quite happen - and the interview ultimately came out pretty good - but still, a bit of a harrowing thing to go through. It was frustrating, because I wanted to be at my best ... but instead felt like I couldn't quite put my best foot forward.
I know that so many have been going through similar challenges these last few years. Not only are many suffering from the effects of Long COVID, but the continued dangers of the pandemic have made many - in particular the immunocompromised - reluctant or unable to participate in everyday life as normal. For a writer like me, the combination of COVID risk and my ongoing Long COVID issues mean no conventions, no networking functions, no mixers, and no attending other events that might help me to promote my new comic. I know for many of us writers, the general stress from - waves arms - *all of this* can make it difficult to be creative, to get writing done, and to put the time and energy into promoting and marketing our content. It took me a long time to find the creative energy to write again after the events of 2020. Now, my bigger concern has been finding the ability to perform the physical act of writing. I tend to be a pretty "intense" writer - really getting into a zone when I'm writing and not stopping for a lot of breaks. I've had to really reconsider how to get writing done with these new (but hopefully temporary!) Long COVID limitations. And as I mentioned above, while part of me wants to do anything and everything I can to promote the new comic ... I've got to be careful to pace myself until I'm feeling better.
Still, it feels especially gratifying to come out with a comic book during this particular moment in time. Since the start of the pandemic, my weekly digital "stack" of new comics has taken on a particularly special meaning. No matter how rough my week was or how crazy the world seemed to get, the ritual of reading my newly-purchased comic books each week provided something to look forward to, something to put a smile on my face, and a means of escapism and joy that, often, really calmed me and lifted my spirit during tough times. I hope that Halloween Team can bring some joy to at least a few readers in that same way.
Over the next few months, I'll be focused on continued recovery and good health. But it's funny - I feel like those of us who are fans of books, comics, TV, movies, videogames, etc. - we all live in two worlds. We have these amazing, vivid fictional worlds that we can escape to whenever we choose. We have the ability to somehow forget about our problems and, for a time, live vicariously through our favorite fictional characters. We have one foot in the real world, sure - but there's a part of us that is always dreaming.
So here's to the power of stories and storytelling. Whether you're a writer or reader or both, great stories can get us through even the toughest of times. Maybe that's a small part of why I love horror and Halloween - because they take our fears and, in a strange way, make them fun and exciting and somehow ... more manageable? Horror allows us to take what scares us and position these fears as mere challenges that, if we're brave enough and tenacious enough ... we can overcome.
In HALLOWEEN TEAM, our gateway character Tommy Taylor relishes a good mystery. He can't quite crack the meta-mystery of what to do with his life as an aimless thirty-something - but give him a monster, mad-scientist, or evil cult - and he won't stop until he learns the truth, saves the day, and solves the case. I sometimes feel the same way. Life, especially these days, can at times feel overwhelming and out of control. But maybe if we just approach it case by case, mystery by mystery ... maybe we can, somehow, figure it all out. And when the going gets really rough, when our lives seem to be spiraling ... we always have stories to turn to.
So ... onwards and upwards, and Happy Halloween!
But this month has also been difficult in a lot of ways. After finally (unfortunately) getting COVID at the end of May, I realized in July that I was suffering from some seriously scary and at-times debilitating Long COVID issues. It started with a few nerve-racking "attacks" of lightheadedness and vertigo that left me stuck in bed for multiple days. In between attacks, I'd start to feel a little better and more functional - but I was still dealing with persistent issues of dizziness and lightheadedness that seemed to be triggered by certain situations. Being in any sort of group setting was difficult. Sitting on certain kinds of surfaces made my head twinge. Being on video calls - or in any situation where my eyes and ears were darting back and forth between different things - was challenging. Talking for a long time uninterrupted made me feel faint. I stopped driving longer distances and relied on rides from others. I continued to work from home, even as my colleagues returned to the office on a more full-time basis. I started seeing an endless series of doctors and specialists. Various symptoms came and went - though the biggest new one from the Fall was elevated blood pressure, and with it, a heightened feeling of anxiety. Certain meds seemed to help mask the symptoms, but even then ... there were good days and bad days, and the lightheadedness and vertigo issues never completely went away.
After a more mild September, my symptoms really began flaring up again in mid-October. On the day the second issue of Halloween Team released - 10/25 - I had my first "attack" in quite some time, while in the waiting room of my ENT doctor. The next day, I was excited for the opportunity to participate in a podcast to help promote the comic - but while on the (live-streamed!) show, I began to experience lightheadedness attacks and thought I might be about to have the awkward and embarrassing experience of passing out on a live show. Luckily, that didn't quite happen - and the interview ultimately came out pretty good - but still, a bit of a harrowing thing to go through. It was frustrating, because I wanted to be at my best ... but instead felt like I couldn't quite put my best foot forward.
I know that so many have been going through similar challenges these last few years. Not only are many suffering from the effects of Long COVID, but the continued dangers of the pandemic have made many - in particular the immunocompromised - reluctant or unable to participate in everyday life as normal. For a writer like me, the combination of COVID risk and my ongoing Long COVID issues mean no conventions, no networking functions, no mixers, and no attending other events that might help me to promote my new comic. I know for many of us writers, the general stress from - waves arms - *all of this* can make it difficult to be creative, to get writing done, and to put the time and energy into promoting and marketing our content. It took me a long time to find the creative energy to write again after the events of 2020. Now, my bigger concern has been finding the ability to perform the physical act of writing. I tend to be a pretty "intense" writer - really getting into a zone when I'm writing and not stopping for a lot of breaks. I've had to really reconsider how to get writing done with these new (but hopefully temporary!) Long COVID limitations. And as I mentioned above, while part of me wants to do anything and everything I can to promote the new comic ... I've got to be careful to pace myself until I'm feeling better.
Still, it feels especially gratifying to come out with a comic book during this particular moment in time. Since the start of the pandemic, my weekly digital "stack" of new comics has taken on a particularly special meaning. No matter how rough my week was or how crazy the world seemed to get, the ritual of reading my newly-purchased comic books each week provided something to look forward to, something to put a smile on my face, and a means of escapism and joy that, often, really calmed me and lifted my spirit during tough times. I hope that Halloween Team can bring some joy to at least a few readers in that same way.
Over the next few months, I'll be focused on continued recovery and good health. But it's funny - I feel like those of us who are fans of books, comics, TV, movies, videogames, etc. - we all live in two worlds. We have these amazing, vivid fictional worlds that we can escape to whenever we choose. We have the ability to somehow forget about our problems and, for a time, live vicariously through our favorite fictional characters. We have one foot in the real world, sure - but there's a part of us that is always dreaming.
So here's to the power of stories and storytelling. Whether you're a writer or reader or both, great stories can get us through even the toughest of times. Maybe that's a small part of why I love horror and Halloween - because they take our fears and, in a strange way, make them fun and exciting and somehow ... more manageable? Horror allows us to take what scares us and position these fears as mere challenges that, if we're brave enough and tenacious enough ... we can overcome.
In HALLOWEEN TEAM, our gateway character Tommy Taylor relishes a good mystery. He can't quite crack the meta-mystery of what to do with his life as an aimless thirty-something - but give him a monster, mad-scientist, or evil cult - and he won't stop until he learns the truth, saves the day, and solves the case. I sometimes feel the same way. Life, especially these days, can at times feel overwhelming and out of control. But maybe if we just approach it case by case, mystery by mystery ... maybe we can, somehow, figure it all out. And when the going gets really rough, when our lives seem to be spiraling ... we always have stories to turn to.
So ... onwards and upwards, and Happy Halloween!
